


Slander

by StonyAvengerGirl16 (CharmedBritannia)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: After he fights someone, And Steve will give him that hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Avengers, Protective Steve, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 10:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3892354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmedBritannia/pseuds/StonyAvengerGirl16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slander: The action and/or crime of making a false spoken statement that is damaging to a person's reputation.</p><p>Tony Stark had a lot of ex's.</p><p>Alright maybe not <em>ex's</em>, per say, but there were most definitely people who used to like him that now don't. It doesn't really effect anything regularly, so he just faces the fact that he was an idiot and tries to move on.</p><p>OR</p><p>How one said ex's appearance on national TV sparked a relationship between a genius billionaire philanthropist and the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slander

 

 

 

 

Tony Stark had a reputation.

 

He had been an alcoholic, a playboy, a weapons manufacturer, and all other not so nice things.

 

But he had been sober for over a year, hadn't had sex with anyone since his relationship with Pepper ended, and had stopped developing weapons the minute he had stepped foot back on American soil. He had also been being saving the world on a regular basis with his crack team of heroes, whom he dared call a family. So all in all, he thought he had been doing a pretty good job.

 

"Tony."

 

Kind of.

 

"Come on, Tony."

"Look, Cap, I just-"

"Tony. I'm not asking."

"I ate a few hours ago-"

"JARVIS?"

"Don't you dare, you traitor-"

"Sir's last substantial meal was approximately sixty-two hours ago."

"Damn it, JARVIS-"

 

Tony couldn't even get a full sentence out. He had a list; an agenda that had a shit-ton of stuff on it. If Capsicle would just listen to him for a moment and would you look at that, he's being carried away. He folded his arms and huffed. This position had become far, _far_  too comfortable. Sure, the first time Steve had put his shoulder into his gut and hefted him up like a sack of potatoes, he had squirmed, yelled, and pounded on his back, all to no avail. He then realized that he had a rather nice view, and decided that he may as well just settle in.

 

So he may have had a tiny, miniscule crush on the super-soldier. It wasn't anything serious. Well, maybe medium-sized.

 

It was fucking enormous, okay?

 

Damn it.

 

It had crept up on him stealthily, and somehow between laughing at his dry wit, educating him on popular culture, and appreciating that ass, legs, arms, face, and everything else, he realized that he liked Steven Grant Rogers in more than a friendly teammate way. And since Steve was Steve and would not let him hole himself away to escape the reality of his shitty emotions like he usually did, he found himself having to deal with the twist in his heart when Steve, oh-so-wonderful Steve, acted as though Tony was his best friend.

 

He had contemplated all this while being ushered (carried) up to the communal area of the tower, where everyone was settling in for pizza, soda (in efforts to support Tony's sobriety), and a shit-ton of other snacks. The others didn't even bat an eyelash when Steve gently deposited him on the love-seat before squishing in next to him. There had been jokes at first, but Steve had given them the most powerful kicked puppy eyes he had ever seen on someone that size. Clint spoke through a mouthful of Hawaiian.

 

"Delivery for Mr. Rogers."

"Shut up, Merida, and pass me some pepperoni and a breadstick."

 

Steve got up instead to retrieve the coveted food (as well as his pizza, seriously, he ate like fucking elephant on a restful day, and four on a busy one). As he settled back in with Tony's legs draped over his lap, they turned on the TV to see if they could (finally) settle on something to watch. Steve was a fan of design shows, or shows where something creative is happening. Clint liked Dog Cops, and was fond of reality shows, surprisingly. Natasha liked crime dramas. Bruce and Tony were nerds and therefor liked the SyFy channel. Thor was a sports fan, but he also liked cartoons, and found the 'adventures of the merry young sponge' to be hilarious. The battle for the remote was just heating up when they clicked past a news channel that was showing footage from their last battle. It had been against some interstellar beasts that Thor called 'buzles', but everyone else agreed that they looked like a variety of huge-ass insects. Steve had been fighting off some giant flies, Natasha was handling giant ants, Thor was electrocuting some killer butterflies, the Hulk fought some praying mantises, Tony was repulsoring beetles, and Clint was letting out some rather emasculating shrieks as he was swarmed by enormous bees.

 

"Hey, look guys! We're on TV."

"We're always on TV."

"But we're on Midnight Testimonies!"

"Isn't that that late-time show where people gather to comment about other people?"

"Yeah."

"Why isn't it on at midnight?"

"Because, Cap. Because."

"For the last time, Tony, because isn't an acceptable answer-"

 

The playful bantering stopped when Bruce pointed out the topic of the night.

 

"Um...guys? The show's not about us."

"Then why are they showing our footage?"

"It's not about us. It's about Tony, specifically."

 

Everyone fell silent. It wasn't usually a good thing when they called out one of them singularly. All the Avengers instinctively sat closer together, forming a barrier against whatever enemy they faced.

 

"HEEELLLOOO, late-night viewers, and welcome to Midnight Testimonies. First, let's just take a look at these Avengers. Quite an explosive bunch, huh? A WWII vet. Seems pretty in shape for someone who qualifies for Medicaid."

 

Steve's eyebrows scrunched together in irritation.

 

"A god? Wow. Them there Christians sure got there interpretation wrong. I wonder if he's naturally blonde?"

 

Thor's eyes darkened.

 

"Two 'super spies'. What's their power? Being invisible? Which is what they should be. But one's got hair, probably dyed, red enough to attract passing ships, and the other uses a medieval weapon and gives away his location by shrieking at bees."

 

Both SHIELD agents narrowed their eyes.

 

"And look at that! The Green Giant. Someone doesn't want to eat his vegetables, am I right?"

 

Bruce curled in on himself.

 

As the audience laughed, the host shook his head.

 

"But as humorous as that is, they don't call this Midnight Testimony for nothing. Tonight, we have a key witness, talking on the one Avenger we haven't discussed yet: Tony Stark!"

 

A man around Tony's age sauntered out on stage, waving at the crowd. He took a slight bow before sinking into the other grey armchair beside the host. He had sandy-blonde hair, green eyes, and had an overall smarmy look to him. He straightened his tie and winked to the camera.

 

"Everyone out there, meet Blake Terrence. He claims to have had a brief love affair with the Iron Avenger. Care to say anything on the matter, Blake?"

"You bet, Mark. I knew and dated Tony during his 'roaring twenties' if you know what I mean."

"I do know what you mean. So what are you waiting for, then? Give us your testimony."

 

Steve was about to comment to Tony when he noticed that he had gone deathly pale. The man looked about ready to faint. He wrapped an arm around Tony in an effort to bring some color back while still listening to what the man had to say.

 

"Oh, I will, Mark. Tony Stark, ladies and gentlemen, was a complete asshole. I'm serious. That is the only somewhat television-friendly word I can use to describe him. He partied like it was 1999 all hours of the day. He would get totally hammered, and then get on to a plane, with stripper poles mind you, and make international deals the next morning. I felt so bad for his little PA. She looked like she was trying to lead a snappy little dog with a piece of dental floss."

 

"Wow."

"I know, right? And he had sex with almost anyone. I am 99% sure that he had at least six affairs going on behind my back."

"That's awful."

"Sure was. When we broke up, it was the happiest day of my life. I literally went out and bought my friends drinks to celebrate."

"Oh my god. I can't believe he was actually that terrible."

"He was awful. And now he's supposed to be what, some sort of superhero? Hurray for you, sweetcheeks. But I wouldn't trust you not to give someone an STD, let alone keep me safe from evil. He probably bought himself a slot on the Avengers. I mean, you have a celebrated war hero and role model, two highly trained secret agents, and a warrior prince. Hell, the Hulk belongs there more than he does. You're not fooling anyone, you alcoholic playboy."

 

As the two men laughed on stage, a knife was thrown into the screen. Natasha looked deathly calm, but the downward tilt of her lips gave away her promise of bloody retribution. Everyone was on edge, but before anyone could say anything, Tony shot up and high-tailed it towards the elevator. Steve vaulted over the couch to catch him, but it was no use, the elevator was already on its way down. He ran down the stairs as fast as his legs would take him, but he was met with the workshop door sealing shut. He tried pounding on the soundproof glass wall, yelling at the top of his lungs. He only caught a glimpse of Tony's hollow gaze before the glass went black and he couldn't be seen anymore.

\----

He trudged his way upstairs, and shook his head slowly when the others looked at him hopefully. He was furious. He had been trying so hard to get Tony to understand and believe that he was an important part of this team. He had finally been getting somewhere, and that stupid douchebag had to go and wreck everything. He looked towards the rest of his team, and made a, quite frankly, really risky decision.

 

"Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Did you catch the name of that man on TV?"

"Indeed, sir. That was Blake Francis Terrence. He and sir had a brief relationship that lasted only a few months. Sir terminated the relationship once it became clear that Terrence was only after funds for his... _habits_."

"What kind of habits, JARVIS?"

"Terrence had been dabbling in quite a few toxic substances, Captain Rogers. Opiates, Depressants, and Narcotics. Once his parents decided to hand control over his family's software company to his much more responsible younger sister, he found himself without the means to acquire such things. Which is where sir came in. He would take advantage of sir's giving nature. After the separation, he served a sentence in federal prison on drug charges."

 

Steve nodded his head.

 

"Do you have a way to contact him?"

"Yes. Though, might I inquire why?"

"I think it's time for him too meet the Avengers. Invite him to the fundraising event this Saturday."

\--------

 

This had been a bad idea. He had fully intended on giving the man a verbal beatdown, but when he looked at his smarmy little face, is his smarmy, cheap little suit, smiling that same smarmy smile, what once was verbal became physical. He had walked up to him, listened to him gush about how brave they were, how noble they were, and wow aren't you handsome? Then he looked over at Tony, who had dragged his way out, arrogant mask in place. But behind the brown doe eyes he knew so well were broken shards, and he knew those words; those shards had torn Tony apart inside more than the shrapnel inside his chest. They had been forged from Tony's worst fears; his inner demons that never let the man have peace. And knowing this man had lied about Tony like that...well...

 

He punched him right in the face. Not with all of his strength, of course, but with more than what was probably necessary.

 

And he didn't feel guilty about it not one damn bit.

 

As he hit the ground, unconscious, blood flowing from his nose, suddenly there were cameras, and flashes, and arms pulling him away, and hands on his chest that he recognized as Tony's and then everything else was a blur tinged red.

\-------

 

A tentative knock on his apartment door plucked at his already frayed nerves.

 

"Who is it?"

"It's Tony. Let me in?"

 

He hopped off the bed to let the shorter man in. He had showered, and smelled of sandalwood, the ocean, and bubbles. He led them to his couch, where they both sat, not saying anything until Tony spoke up.

 

"This is odd, reversing the roles like this."

"I guess."

"Steve. Why did you punch him."

"Because."

"Don't go there, Mr. Because 'isn't a legitimate answer'."

 

Steve sighed.

 

"I couldn't stand it, alright. The way he spoke about you, and it wasn't true, and he deserved to be punished, and-"

"Steve. Did you really  arrange a fight behind the school to protect my honor?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Steve, you punched a man, a _civilian_ , at a fundraising event, in front of god knows how many reporters. What about your reputation?"

"What about yours?"

"What's done is done, Steve, and your reputation matters more-"

"You matter more to me than a damn reputation!"

Tony flinched back at the sudden outburst. Steve's face was red with anger and embarrassment. He stopped yelling, but continued on in a still very upset voice.

 

"You matter to me Tony. You are important to this team. We need you. Not for your money, nut for you. You are a genius. You are a kind, giving person. And you may be a sarcastic twat sometimes, but that's part of why we need you. You keep us laughing when things get rough. You cheer us up when things go south. You sacrifice yourself for us whenever we go out on the field. We need you, Tony. I need you."

 

Tony had backed up at this point, as if he could shoo away the words if he tried hard enough.

 

Steve wasn't having it.

 

He reached out and grabbed Tony, pulling him into a bear hug. Tony squirmed for a bit, clearly uncomfortable, but then just melted. Steve knew he would. Despite his prickly nature, Tony was a cuddler, through and through.

 

"You're important to me Tony. Much more than you know. You don't have to say anything, but...I really am gone on you."

 

Tony stiffened, but didn't try to raise his face.

 

"I know you think that you don't deserve anyone, and that no one deserves to have to put up with you. But you are wonderful, and gorgeous, and sweet, and compassionate, and...I'd like to call you mine, if you'll call me yours."

 

Tony was silent for a moment, and Steve feared that he had ruined everything. Tony began wiggling again, and with a heavy spirit and a broken heart, he let him go. But he didn't get up and leave. He threw a leg over so that he was straddling him instead. Steve was sure his face was as red as the stripes on his uniform, but he refused to look away.  Tony just gave him one of his small, true smiles.

 

"Hm. Steve Rogers, mine? Sounds like a childhood dream come true."

 

He grabbed Steve by the neck of his shirt and brought him forward into their first kiss.

\--------

 

The next morning, two lumps under the covers, one large, one smaller, shifted as the summer light came through the window of the apartment.

 

"Ugghh. Damn it, Steve. Why is there no tint on your windows?"

"I like to see the sun when I get up."

"Eeeeviilll. Turn it off."

"You can't turn off the sun, Tony."

 

Tony merely grumbled and rolled over, squashing his face to Steve's chest. He felt rather than saw Tony drift back to sleep, and took his chance to kiss his forehead and sleep in a little himself.

\-------

He got up about an hour later, watching amused as Tony snuffled and curled into the heated spot left behind. He headed down to the kitchen to start making breakfast. One by one all of the others sans Tony appeared downstairs, accepting his offering off pancakes and hash browns. He chuckled at Clint, who looked extremely disheveled.

"Too much champagne, Hawkeye?"

"Yeah. I got so drunk I saw Cap sock someone in the face."

Natasha took a delicate sip of her coffee.

"Oh no, that really happened."

"What?"

"Yep."

"Damn, Cap."

"Do not despair, Eye of Hawk! Steve merely sought to protect the honor of his beloved."

"Pfft. Not his 'beloved' yet."

 

Steve smirked, but didn't say anything.

 

Once it got closer to noon, Steve decided it was time to wake the sleeping genius.

 

"JARVIS, can you call Tony up for me?"

"I can, Captain Rogers."

 

A few seconds passed by.

 

"Mmm...what?"

"Time to get up, sleepyhead."

"Mmm...coffee?"

"Brewing."

"Coming."

 

Tony cut the connection, and came down a few minutes later in a pair of Steve's sweatpants and one of his workout shirts (which really shouldn't have pleased him as much as it did).

 

Clint raised an eyebrow over his sunglasses.

 

"Laundry mix-up?"

 

Tony only gave a reflexive middle finger before accepting his breakfast and coffee from Steve.

 

"Morning, sunshine."

"I resent that sentiment as sunshine is evil."

"Just take the breakfast, Tony."

"Thanks, honey."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

 

Tony got up on tip-toes to plant a small peck to his cheek, before taking his food to the table. Everyone stared for a second, before Natasha smirked.

 

"Fifty bucks, Clint."

"Goddamnit, woman. How do you do this?"

"Intuition, and skills."

 

He begrudgingly accepted his fate and went to refill their coffee cups. Bruce spoke up.

 

"Just so you know, Tony, you are important to us."

"Aye, he is right, Man of Iron! You are the worthiest of allies in this battle against the darkness of despair and shadows!"

"What he's trying to say, Tony, is that you are a part of this team. You have our backs, we have yours."

"Yeah. Without you, where would I get all my untested weaponry?"

 

He laughed until Nat smacked him in the back of the head.

 

"OW. Jesus, Nat! Hangover!"

"I know."

"Meanie."

 

He stuck his tongue out like the mature adult that he's not.

 

"I mean it, Tony. Steve got the blow in this time. But all of us are willing to give a guy a black eye if it calls for it."

"Or a knife to a tendon."

"Or an arrow to the knee."

"My mighty fist shall strike down on any adversaries!"

"...What he said."

 

Tony smiled at his team. It felt nice to have people willing to protect him. It made him feel...safe.

 

Loved.

 

Steve wrapped his arms around his lover's waist and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

 

Yeah. A fella could get used to this.

\------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
